Des Moines' mobile speed cameras are back on the roads. Here's when you could be ticketed.

Cooper Worth and Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register
·4 min read

After Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law limiting traffic cameras in May, the Des Moines Police Department and other law enforcement agencies across the state have been making changes to how and where they use automated traffic enforcement.

Under new state law, cities had to apply for permits and justify using traffic cameras to cite drivers who violate speed limits. Cities had to apply for permits by July 1 and provide the Iowa Department of Transportation with information, including records of traffic violations, the severity of collisions, speed data, and alternative methods under consideration to improve public safety at the location in question.

Mobile traffic cameras are portable devices often mounted on vehicles or trailers, while fixed traffic cameras are permanently installed at specific intersections or roadways.

In Des Moines, 24 out of 38 requested mobile radar locations were approved. The city was denied on two of its three requests for fixed cameras. The fixed camera on Interstate 235 was allowed to continue operating.

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Across the state, the DOT declined permits for 128 fixed devices and 66 mobile locations and declined to issue any permits to 18 Iowa counties or municipalities that applied.

Where will Des Moines use mobile speed cameras?

Des Moines paused use of its mobile radar units while it adjusted to the law's requirements, including new signage. The units are back out on the streets starting this week, but can only be deployed to approved locations.

More: Which Iowa speed cameras can be used after DOT ruling? Look them up in our database:

Here are this week's mobile radar locations in Des Moines.

Wednesday, Dec. 4

  • 1800 block Fleur Drive, northbound and southbound.

  • 4300 block Ingersoll Avenue, eastbound and westbound.

  • 4800 block Hickman Road, eastbound and westbound.

Thursday, Dec. 5

  • 2800 block SW Ninth Street, northbound and southbound.

  • 1700 block Park Avenue, eastbound and westbound.

  • 2800 block Indianola Avenue, eastbound and westbound.

Friday, Dec. 6

  • 2900 block Sixth Avenue, northbound and southbound.

  • 3100 block MLK Jr. Parkway, northbound and southbound.

  • 4800 block Hickman Road, eastbound and westbound.

Will I receive a citation if I'm caught speeding by these DMPD mobile radar units?

For now, drivers will only receive warnings if they are caught speeding by these traffic cameras. Citations will be issued beginning Jan. 6, 2025.

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Drivers will only be issued a citation if they're more than 10 miles an hour over the posted speed limit.

What other regulations were included in the new Iowa law?

In addition to the permit process and rules on tickets, the law added other regulations:

  • Communities with a population of 20,000 or less can issue warnings but not tickets from their mobile cameras.

  • Municipalities must place signs at least 500 to 1,000 feet ahead of any traffic cameras, notifying drivers that they are in use.

  • Anyone who is ticketed from the cameras can offer evidence they were not driving at the time the ticket was issued, but they must provide the name and address of the person who was driving the car.

  • Any stored photos of license plates from the cameras must be deleted within 30 days unless they're part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

  • Communities must submit annual reports by March 1 to the DOT detailing the number of collisions and citations at any locations with traffic cameras.

The law also standardized fines for motorists who violate the speed limit as follows:

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  • $75 for driving 11-20 mph above the speed limit.

  • $100 for driving 21-25 mph above the speed limit.

  • $250 for driving 26-30 mph above the speed limit.

  • $500 for driving more than 30 mph above the speed limit.

How is traffic camera revenue used?

Besides covering the costs of operating the traffic cameras, revenue that cities receive from citations issued by the cameras can be used only to fund transportation infrastructure improvements or public safety expenses.

An analysis of the law by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency shows Cedar Rapids issued the most tickets and reaped the most revenue of any Iowa city that used traffic cameras in fiscal 2023, the budget year that ended June 30, 2023.

Cedar Rapids issued 169,696 tickets and collected 94,037 fines. The city took in $7.2 million. Traffic camera revenue goes to the city's general fund for public safety purposes. The company running the cameras took in $1.8 million.

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Des Moines issued 125,768 tickets and collected 84,991 fines in fiscal year 2023. The city spent its $3.6 million in revenue on its public safety radio system. The company running the cameras collected $1.9 million.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines' mobile speed cameras are back. When you could be ticketed.